My path to becoming a science teacher has been long and winding with many different inspirations. I was fortunate enough in high school to have many excellent teachers who taught using a wide variety of styles and techniques. I could list close to a dozen teachers who have played a major role in my decision making process. I think it is easiest to appreciate the good when it occurs in close proximity to a less good experience.
One teacher I admire a lot is my high school math teacher. I had him for both algebra 2 my sophomore year and AP Calculus my senior year. He was the chair of the math department. The high school I went to had two paths through the math curriculum. Every student took geometry freshman year, algebra 2 sophomore year, and pre-calculus junior year. Students were then placed in either AP statistics or AP calculus based on their interest and ability in math. In order to take Calculus, you had to have the approval of your pre-calc teacher.
My sophomore year, I loved math. I enjoyed learning about it, I did most of my hw (never one of my strong areas) and came to class eager to learn and was often engaged in the material. My teacher was amusing, and took time to get to know people, he was the baseball coach and loved making fun of the lacrosse coach who a majority of us had had math class with in middle school. He alternated on task instruction with off topic levity in a way that allowed the class to dedicate attention to the topic at hand when it was needed. I was highly successful in his class and was looking forward to pre-calculus.
My junior year was terrible. Math was my first class of the day and there was a definite disconnect between myself and my teacher. Homework was assigned every night and a majority of every class was consumed with students writing their answers to the homework assignment on the board. Homework grades were based on number of times each student wrote an answer on the board and wrong answers we counted against the student. I was late to class (typically 5-10 mins) in large part because of my chauffeur's (sister's) in ability to be anywhere on time. Because I was tardy, I would miss the assignment of my board problem and get a zero for HW. I spent the year trying to get my sister to school on time and eventually just abandoning homework, which was already a struggle for me to find the motivation to do, entirely. I did alright in the class but the homework, along with a few other incidents that left me feeling disinterested and disconnected from the learning environment, lead to my teacher recommending that I not take Calculus.
As the department head, Mr. H overruled the recommendation due to his experience with me in his algebra 1 class. Part of his decision was contingent on meetings with him and working on a plan to ensure I was completing assignments and that I was not overwhelmed. He checked in with me regularly during the first few weeks, but quickly realized that I was staying on task, completing my homework, and understanding class concepts sufficiently. He stopped requiring me to meet with him but found ways to check in regardless. I found myself working harder in his class than for most of my classes because he had given me a chance and I had to show him that he had made the right choice.
There were many things Mr. H. did that make him one of my many teacher inspirations. The first thing he did is he got to know me as a student, and my abilities in math. He also knew the teachers in his department and used the knowledge of both of us to make an informed decision about my ability to succeed in Calculus. He navigated the waters of disregarding the recommendations of my pre-calculus teacher in a way that made both of us feel alright with me taking calculus. He recognized potential and invested his time in helping me succeed. I passed calculus and got college credit due to my performance on the AP test. Him putting his faith in me forced me to achieve at a high level in order to not let him down.
The second way in which I am inspired by him is his ability to effectively alternate between serious lectures and humor without taking away from knowledge acquisition. He made fun of himself and other teachers fairly often, but always in a way that was respectful and increased the feeling of community. At my school lacrosse and baseball were the two sports most of the guys took part in during the spring semester. It worked well for him to give lacrosse players, and our coach, a hard time because we gave the baseball players a hard time any chance we got. His homework policy made sense and he was highly invested in student learning. He made himself available as often as possible and gave helpful feedback freely.
One teacher I admire a lot is my high school math teacher. I had him for both algebra 2 my sophomore year and AP Calculus my senior year. He was the chair of the math department. The high school I went to had two paths through the math curriculum. Every student took geometry freshman year, algebra 2 sophomore year, and pre-calculus junior year. Students were then placed in either AP statistics or AP calculus based on their interest and ability in math. In order to take Calculus, you had to have the approval of your pre-calc teacher.
My sophomore year, I loved math. I enjoyed learning about it, I did most of my hw (never one of my strong areas) and came to class eager to learn and was often engaged in the material. My teacher was amusing, and took time to get to know people, he was the baseball coach and loved making fun of the lacrosse coach who a majority of us had had math class with in middle school. He alternated on task instruction with off topic levity in a way that allowed the class to dedicate attention to the topic at hand when it was needed. I was highly successful in his class and was looking forward to pre-calculus.
My junior year was terrible. Math was my first class of the day and there was a definite disconnect between myself and my teacher. Homework was assigned every night and a majority of every class was consumed with students writing their answers to the homework assignment on the board. Homework grades were based on number of times each student wrote an answer on the board and wrong answers we counted against the student. I was late to class (typically 5-10 mins) in large part because of my chauffeur's (sister's) in ability to be anywhere on time. Because I was tardy, I would miss the assignment of my board problem and get a zero for HW. I spent the year trying to get my sister to school on time and eventually just abandoning homework, which was already a struggle for me to find the motivation to do, entirely. I did alright in the class but the homework, along with a few other incidents that left me feeling disinterested and disconnected from the learning environment, lead to my teacher recommending that I not take Calculus.
As the department head, Mr. H overruled the recommendation due to his experience with me in his algebra 1 class. Part of his decision was contingent on meetings with him and working on a plan to ensure I was completing assignments and that I was not overwhelmed. He checked in with me regularly during the first few weeks, but quickly realized that I was staying on task, completing my homework, and understanding class concepts sufficiently. He stopped requiring me to meet with him but found ways to check in regardless. I found myself working harder in his class than for most of my classes because he had given me a chance and I had to show him that he had made the right choice.
There were many things Mr. H. did that make him one of my many teacher inspirations. The first thing he did is he got to know me as a student, and my abilities in math. He also knew the teachers in his department and used the knowledge of both of us to make an informed decision about my ability to succeed in Calculus. He navigated the waters of disregarding the recommendations of my pre-calculus teacher in a way that made both of us feel alright with me taking calculus. He recognized potential and invested his time in helping me succeed. I passed calculus and got college credit due to my performance on the AP test. Him putting his faith in me forced me to achieve at a high level in order to not let him down.
The second way in which I am inspired by him is his ability to effectively alternate between serious lectures and humor without taking away from knowledge acquisition. He made fun of himself and other teachers fairly often, but always in a way that was respectful and increased the feeling of community. At my school lacrosse and baseball were the two sports most of the guys took part in during the spring semester. It worked well for him to give lacrosse players, and our coach, a hard time because we gave the baseball players a hard time any chance we got. His homework policy made sense and he was highly invested in student learning. He made himself available as often as possible and gave helpful feedback freely.